A labor of love

The best thing about family is how easily it fits. Sure, they're aggravating when you've been away for a while, but they seem to slip on easily, like a pair of slippers you've kept at home since you were in high school (mine are blue and fuzzy).

My weekend sojourn to Minneapolis has lasted a day longer than I'd planned on, thanks to a failing oil pump and a red warning light that made me believe my Passat would blow up before it'd get me back to KC. I'm sure that it will be ridiculously expensive, but for now, it's bought me the best day with my parents.

While there was a lot of frustration and anger today, there were redeeming moments:

- I woke up and came upstairs to a beautiful moment - my Dad was sitting in our sunroom, reading the paper and listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The sun was shining and we ate bananas and sipped orange juice while sharing the paper and an ottoman.
- While we ate lunch, my Mom and I got sort of heated over some of her brother/sister family drama. She got teary-eyed and I realized how much I love her delicate, caring, easily wounded heart. She's such a great woman and it was the epidome of how much we value family...broken as we might be right now.
- My Mom and I watched Law & Order for 3 HOURS today. She pretended to cross-stitch and I pretended to read my NT Wright book. It's like crack.
- Dad and I went on a walk in the beautimous Minneapolis humidity. Thankfully, we did not run across the state bird (the mosquito) and we had the best talk about happiness. It was holy, and reminiscent of the post I did earlier this week. I love it when God ties up the strings.
- College Football has begun. Thank you, 8 1/2 pound baby Jesus. Nebraska won this weekend, and right now, I'm watching the Miami/Florida State Game with a glass of Syrah. I've almost forgotten that tomorrow's going to be a rough day.

Moments like these are rare. I'm lucky to see my parents almost every other month, but when I was out of the country, I realized that I'm not in the majority. Most people my age have parents that are divorced, too far away, or may have already passed away. But I have this great family - neurotic, fiercely committed and crazily confrontational...but definitely loving.

Life is good.